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Our area is having another The Big Read program this year (it's when a community, often set up through the local library, reads the same book and has some activities associated with the characters/author/plot/etc.), and they've chosen Dahiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. Since I hadn't even seen the film (do plan to now, though), I didn't really know how it ends (and films sometimes change the plot or details of the novels anyway). Not bad; I've never really found detective stories all that great (there have been a few that were okay). Certainly is a "period piece," as all the male chauvinism, domestic violence, and subtle racist/stereotypical comments wouldn't do so well in today's climate.

Been on a reader binge

Went back to the Riftwar with "Murder at LaMut" and "Jimmy the Hand" by Raymond E. Feist, I recommend these for anyone who enjoyed Feist earlier work about the Riftwar and the Serpent War. I just finished "Deathstar" by Reaves and Perry and they have done it again as they did in the Medstar novels, produce a fantasic star wars novel. I would say "Deathstar" is now an essential novel in the star war saga because of the way they blend it with book 1. If you haven't read it yet, go buy it or check it out at your library, you won't be sorry!

I finished What I Really Want to Do on Set in Hollywood by a person, which isn't really what I want to do with my life, but I did find it facinating to learn all the specifity involved in the "glamour" of Tinseltown. I found four editorial errors: a missing space that should've been in between two words, an affect/effect misplacement, a period instead of a question mark, and one awkward sentence. :nitpicking: But I will say this; for someone looking to begin a career in movie making, this is an excellent and realistic resource to do so. Good job, author of this book!

Read another of Dashiell Hammett's detective novels, The Thin Man, apparently his best work. It wasn't bad, but I am not a big fan of the last chapter listing all the info I need; why not just read that one first, then? It's just not my style of writing, I guess.

I'd read the movie novelization of IJ & Last Crusade several years ago, but never the other two films. Well, no longer a true statement. Campbell Black wrote Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (as it's now titled) and James Kahn penned IJ & Temple of Doom. Both were short (less than 200 pages each), and added a few new scenes, such as (Raiders) two in Berlin, Indy with a college girl, Indy tied to the U-boat periscope, Indy driving a loaned car to Marion's bar, and (Temple) Short Round's drive to the club, Indy returning to the palace with Willie after drinking the Kali blood ( ), etc. Also, several scenes from the films were significantly shortened or less detailed. But all in all, good reads. I think that ends the Indiana Jones kick for me for the summer. Maybe.

A short teacher book, Breaking (into) the Circle by Hephzibah Roskelly (hey, another 'R' author) on group work in classrooms. Teacher books are usually somewhat dull to read, but full of helpful info, and this was another of those.

Found a short book called The Lighter Side of the Dark Ages by Rose Williams (another 'W' author... with an 'R' first name; I've read 5 'R' authors and 3 'Ws' so far this summer). It wasn't as "funny" as I thought the title alluded to, but it was somewhat irreverent in its coverage of European rulers and wars and and politics and religious movements from about 400-1000 A.C.E. (a.k.a. A.D.). It was okay, but would be a decent review book for going on Jeopardy! as a contestant.